Falling Off the Edge
by TheLastShadow
Summary: He's about to draw the string back when he realizes his bow is no longer a bow. He stares incredulously at the purple and black key in his hands. Part 3 of the 'How far will I fall' series


**A/N** _ **:**_ Takes place after 'Slowly Falling Awake' but before 'Falling Apart'. Crossover with Kingdom Hearts/The Bourne Legacy/The Avengers

I'm going to admit, like Black Widow, I don't know squat about Hawkeye. I was going to relying on the info from the wikia sites for Clint's biography before deciding to change it up a bit. I'm taking **great** liberty in his back story and meshing it with the 4th  movie of the Bourne Identity franchise. The story and title were inspired by the song _Falling Off the Edge of the World_ by Black Sabbath.

 **Part 3 of How far will I fall  
**

un-beta'd

* * *

Aaron remembers being Kenneth J. Kitsom. He remembers pretending to be a kid with an IQ that didn't meet the Army requirements. He remembers being injured during a fight in Iraq. He remembers pain and blood and being given another chance. He remembers suffering from loss of hearing but he's not sure if that was caused by the accident or something else. The fake name and life he fabricated to join the military before Outcome meant nothing and it was easy to give them up.

His _real_ name and life mean nothing, too. There aren't enough memories of the person he used to be, not anymore, not after his head injury took them away. There are a few names and sounds that are familiar but not enough to jog a true memory. Everything from before is swathed in a fog of gray.

Sometimes there are dreams and he pretends those are his memories. They're full of vague shapes, bright lights, and a muffled voice. At one point he thinks he sees a stained glass floor with elaborate designs of keys. A part of him wonders what the staff in his dreams mean and why he's drawn to it every time. He pushes those thoughts away and continues his trek through Alaska.

"They're just dreams," he mumbles.

 **-o-**

He rarely handles guns nowadays. They make Marta nervous after everything they've been through and he understands. He keeps them out of sight in hidden areas around their home. Instead he practices with his knives and brushes up on his archery. A memory of a circus blinds him the first time he notches an arrow. More and more memories start to flow in as the days continue. It's easy to keep these new discoveries to himself even though a part of him wishes he could share them with Marta.

 **-o-**

It's during one of his practice sessions that something inexplicable happens. Marta is sitting on a tree swing and he turns only for a moment to watch her. He feels his heart swell and a warmth blanket him all around. He smiles because he's happy. He's about to draw the string back when he realizes his bow is no longer a bow. He stares incredulously at the purple and black key in his hands. He swings it testing the weight, watching in awe as the sun glints across the metal. He swings it again only to yelp when a purple flash explodes out of its tip.

"Oh, shit."

Aaron stares at what appears to be a puddle of bubbling black tar where Marta's flowers used to be. He waves away the fumes curling up in the air and chokes when the smell of rot hits him. He's so busy trying to figure a way to remove the mess without actually touching it that he doesn't notice Marta coming up behind him.

"Aaron?"

Aaron freezes, " _Fuck_."

She stares and he stares until the key in his hand swells and disappears.

"Traitor," he mutters.

 **-o-**

He falls in love with Marta. He knows he'll do anything for her after working as a team to survive gunfire and assassins. Love makes him blind, makes him want to come clean about the few secrets he managed to keep for himself. There are so few secrets he remembers after the accident and the chems but he decides it's better this way.

"My real name is Clint Barton."

"But," Marta frowns, "you said it was Ken…"

Her voice trails off as she gives him a hard look trying to see if he's joking. He avoids eye contact, expecting her to be angry or hurt. Instead, she takes his face in her hands to pull him close until he turns to see her.

She makes sure he can read her lips when she whispers, "You'll always be Aaron to me."

 **-o-**

He rushes home. Something deep down tells him to _run_! He slinks into the house, several blades in his grasp as he makes his way closer to his cache of guns. He searches the entire building feeling his heart clench in despair. The smell of burnt food cooking on the stove sets off the fire alarm in the kitchen. He disregards it and continues to search every room.

Marta is gone.

Later, he sits in the back yard packing his things as quickly as possible. The burning house behind him casts an eerie glow as shadows dance around him. He feels his heart harden as he walks away from the life that was taken from him. He won't rest until he kills the one who kidnapped her.

 **-o-**

Aaron points his gun at the woman's head knowing her gun and hidden knife are pointed at him, too. He scowls wondering if she's another super soldier sent to kill him. He thought the trail of bodies he left throughout Spain would be enough warning.

She's quick, dodging the first bullet as she falls forward to swipe his knee with her blade. He drops back, gun shooting as he keeps her in sight. He barely blinks when she runs up a wall to aim a kick at his head. He ducks to jab her in the ribs with two consecutive hits before receiving a punch in the ear. Aaron has to rely on his other skills to make sure the assassin doesn't gain the upper hand with one of his hearing aids broken. He shifts to brace himself in case she attacks his legs. His fists are up, already he moving forward in an attempt to break her wrist and neck.

He stops inches from the sharp teeth of a ridiculously large key. The black and red coloring of her weapon look threatening under the full moon. He lets out a huff trying to smother his laugh. When that doesn't help he lets it out. He looks like a mad man but he doesn't care. He waves her away when she glares at him. The woman's face is temporarily obscured when her red hair falls forward due to the breeze. Her key presses closer to his neck and he sighs as he swings his key up to knock hers aside.

"You're not the only one who knows that little trick."

 **-o-**

It's not long before SHIELD finds them.

Several teams are down before the organization decides to have a 'talk'. Aaron knows they're hunting for Natasha. The little bit of information he's been able to gather on her makes her a dangerous enemy to the organization. He doesn't back down as SHIELD keeps coming after them though. It's no surprise he's a bit over protective of Natasha after Marta's disappearance.

He is surprised when they try to sweet talk _him_ into their ranks. He's almost flattered and maybe even preens a little but the last thing he wants is to join another group like Outcome. It doesn't bother him if he has to break a few bones to get it through their thick skulls but he smiles instead.

"I'll join you merry band of do gooders if she can join, too."

He throws Nat a grin when they eventually accept. Natasha quirks her eyebrow and rolls her eyes when he laughs.

 **-o-**

"Who is she?"

Aaron, no, _Clint_ exhales and rubs the edges of the faded picture.

"Someone I owe a debt. She saved me."

Natasha nods, "Do you have any leads?"

Clint tucks the photography into his pocket. He shoulders his pack and picks up his bow before walking. He looks back her over his shoulder, "Why? We taking a detour on the job?"

"Never know," she says, "Could be interesting. Plus, we haven't had a vacation."

He chuckles, "I hear Brazil is nice this time of year."

They chase different leads across South America and Asia before Clint stops. It's been years since he last saw Marta and he knows he's only deluding himself thinking she's still alive. He tells Natasha he's had enough of chasing ghosts that might not be waiting for him.

Natasha continues the search behind his back.

 **-o-**

"Did you feel that?"

There's a ripple of something just beyond reach. Somewhere out among the stars there's something dark. The Black Widow clenches her fist when she feels the first tremor of evil swept through her. She shakes her head intent on ignoring it in favor of getting ready to visit Tony Stark. Hawkeye is still scowling at the sky from his perch.

 **-o-**

The not-human before him grins as he taps his scepter across his chest. Clint feels his heart twist as it's clutched between strings of Darkness. He thinks of Marta as his body stiffens and grows cold. He growls because he failed her. He is too weak to overpower this enemy and he gave up hope to keep searching for her. He imagines her beautiful smile just before his mind goes blank.

He thinks he hears her whisper, "Let's get lost together."

Clint follows the Nobody.


End file.
